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Doug Kraft
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Befriending the Mind: Easing Into the Heart of Awakening Kindle Edition

by Doug Kraft (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
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Some meditators put too much of the wrong kind of effort into meditation. The mind doesn't need to be controlled, shaped, or trained. Trying to do so is like standing in a hammock: it’s difficult to do, destabilizing, and completely unnecessary. A natural kindness and intelligence imbue the mind-heart. They can easily be obscured. Our job is to discover the clarity and wisdom inherent within. This may take effort and discipline. But wisdom is about revealing rather than ruling. Awakening begins with befriending the mind. *** To be sure, sometimes the mind goes out of control with more enthusiasm than it knows how to manage. Other times it’s lethargic or lost, not knowing where it is, where it’s going, or where to find the energy to keep moving through the gloom. During these times we may yearn for stability, peace, vitality, clarity, or uplift. We may be tempted to take charge and will these qualities onto the mind. However, habit is stronger than will. Willpower may work for a while. But in the long run, it’s hard to sustain. Rather than trying to overrule the mind-heart, we can befriend it — open up to it with kindness, get to know it better, see how it operates. *** A traditional Buddhist metaphor for this process is the parting of storm clouds. As the sun shines through, we notice the openness of the sky itself. The sun is always shining. The sky is always spacious. Clouds can obscure the luminous expanse. But these qualities are always present. We don’t create them. Instead, we discover what was hidden. *** What we truly seek is already here, though it may be obscured. Realizing our natural peace and vitality is a middle way that is neither domineering nor out of control. It exposes a natural mind-heart that is peaceful, luminous, patient, intelligent, kind, wise, gentle, agenda-less, and so quiet it draws no attention. Attuning to it could be called “easing awake.” Or it could be called "befriending the mind." *** This book explores how to befriend the mind-heart, the inner landscape that is revealed by this process, and the natural non-dual awareness that emerges.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    August 4, 2022
  5. File size
    5959 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B8QJXBFW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Easing Awake Books (August 4, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 4, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5959 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

About the author

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Doug Kraft

Doug Kraft

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Doug Kraft is a meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and Unitarian Universalist minister. He has a degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Divinity from Starr King School of the Ministry in Berkeley, California.

Over the years he has also worked as a special education teacher, director of a counseling center for youth at risk, computer programmer, and workshop leader.

Doug has trained in Buddhist meditation for over 40 years. His primary teachers have been John Travis, Bhante Vimalaraṁsi, and Ajahn Tong in northern Thailand. Other teachers have included Ruth Dennison, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Larry Rosenberg, Joanna Macy, and many others. Outside of Theravada circles, he has trained with the Korean Zen Master, Sahn Seung, Mingyur Rinpoche, Ram Dass, Pir Vilat Khan, Salvador Rouchet, Emmanuel, and Jean Houston.

Along the way he has raised two boys, earned five black belts in karate, and written several books on spirituality and meditation. Currently he lives in northern California with his wife and cat.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
12 global ratings
Practical, eye-opening, and invigorating. This is the most impactful book I’ve read.
5 Stars
Practical, eye-opening, and invigorating. This is the most impactful book I’ve read.
Best book I’ve read so far (besides the AN translated by Bhikku Bodhi). Doug Kraft is an inspiration and his books have changed my life immensely. I’ve actually bought this book for or loaned out my own copy of it because of how practical Doug makes this journey seem. This is a grounded and realistic implementations of the spiritual journey. I have bought every book by Doug and don’t regret buying or spending the time reading any of them. Most of all, this one though.
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Top reviews from the United States

Devin
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, eye-opening, and invigorating. This is the most impactful book I’ve read.
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Best book I’ve read so far (besides the AN translated by Bhikku Bodhi). Doug Kraft is an inspiration and his books have changed my life immensely. I’ve actually bought this book for or loaned out my own copy of it because of how practical Doug makes this journey seem. This is a grounded and realistic implementations of the spiritual journey. I have bought every book by Doug and don’t regret buying or spending the time reading any of them. Most of all, this one though.
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Devin
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, eye-opening, and invigorating. This is the most impactful book I’ve read.
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022
Best book I’ve read so far (besides the AN translated by Bhikku Bodhi). Doug Kraft is an inspiration and his books have changed my life immensely. I’ve actually bought this book for or loaned out my own copy of it because of how practical Doug makes this journey seem. This is a grounded and realistic implementations of the spiritual journey. I have bought every book by Doug and don’t regret buying or spending the time reading any of them. Most of all, this one though.
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Prashant Billore
5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than "just" befriending the mind - teaches how to live peacefully in any situation
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2019
I have been trying different forms of meditation and reading meditation books for past 25 years. This is clearly the best book I have ever come across on the subject. It explains the practical way taught by Buddha which can help us get out of our suffering.

This books is divided in three sections - Befriending the mind, Inner landscape and Luminous non dual awareness. The first section is about why befriending the mind is important for our inner peace and how to do that. Second section uses Buddha's teachings, modern psychology and a variety of traditions and writings to really explain what and how our inner landscape mind-body and mind-heart work. In the third chapter Doug uses objective, subjective and evocative language to describe non dual awareness. It makes non dual awareness accessible to anyone anytime like it was a cup of hot chocolate.

Overall, Doug makes Buddha's teachings meaningful, relevant and actionable for the reader. In a matter of days and weeks, I noticed that my practice unfolded in a way which I had not seen possible. My life, my relationships and my day-to-day all became filled with balance and often that led to ease and comfort as well. Must read, very highly recommended!

If you are a committed practitioner of Buddha's teachings and/or looking for a way to really alleviate your suffering, please do read this. Each chapter brings value on its own. Brilliant, practical, actionable advice which makes sense and works!!
4 people found this helpful
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Liam
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2021
This is low key one of the best meditation books ever written. By a true master, and a skilled writer to boot.
One person found this helpful
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Varsha Likhite
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive book to understand one's mind and deepen one's spiritual practice
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019
Doug talks about the mind and how the spiritual practice unfolds in a gentle but comprehensive way. He covers various stages of the practice and weaves in stories which keep the material fresh and interesting. There are new insights and techniques that I really enjoyed. I like the openness of the teaching and learnings from various different traditions interleaved with Theravada Buddhist tradition.
One person found this helpful
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